When Adam Dorris was chef at the highly regarded Pax Americana, he couldn't (or wouldn't) put a burger on the upscale contemporary Gulf Coast menu.

Now, at his new post at more casual Presidio — one of those rarefied ice houses that have been taking Houston by storm — the burger-and-fries option is in play. It's a dinner-only experience at the moment, starting at 5 p.m. Let's check out what a chef who's picky about local ingredients and expert at layering flavors brings to the genre.

PRICE: At $13 with fries, Presidio's Texas Beef Burger is one of the more affordable of the city's double-digit chef-burger offerings. Sixteen bucks lets you double up on the 6-ounce patties, but the single-patty choice is so nicely proportioned that messing with it seems a pity.

ORDERING: Check with a host at the front stand for seat in the dining room, at the bar, on the covered front porch or the gravel-strewn side patio set with picnic tables. A server will take your order.

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ARCHITECTURE: Salad stuff on top. On a butter-toasted bun goes whole-grain mustard, a 6-ounce 44 Farms beef patty, and a slather of onion-bacon jam. Then comes a slice of cheddar cheese, a few leaves of Bibb lettuce, a slice of tomato, thin rings of red onion and a couple of house-made sweet pickle rounds. The whole thing is held together with a bamboo pick.

QUALITY: No need for the ketchup and mayo served in the burger basket alongside the fries — the Presidio burger already has a fine concatenation of flavors going. That starts with the house-ground mix of 44 Farms chuck, round and brisket, which delivers plenty of beefy flavor in a plump patty.

That essential beef character is ramped up by a baste of smoked butter to create a serious crust on the flattop; plus another umami hit in the form of Dorris' onion-bacon jam, with its notes of pork and salt.

The patty is set off by its electric underlayer of mustard, a Dijon base tweaked with house-roasted mustard seeds that lend a satisfying pop. Quality fresh vegetables, cheddar and pickles all come together to create a classic-and-then-some cheeseburger experience.

And praise be, this is a cheffy burger that does not try to justify its double-digit price with a sky-high stack of ingredients. I could pick it up and eat it like a sandwich, always crucial to my particular burger enjoyment.

GRADE: A

OOZE RATING: Good. Plenty of juices in the patty, although they do not come splooshing forth.

BONUS POINTS: The hand-cut fries are a plus, deeply bronzed to a crisp, salted turn. And an interesting range of beers, wines by the glass and cocktails is available to accessorize adult burger consumption.

Should others in your party be burger-shy, a selection of dishes in the spirit of Dorris' intensely seasonal work at Pax Americana is available on a menu that mutates constantly. Think a grilled ear of corn daubed with feisty green goddess dressing and cubes of marinated feta; spicy little fried Texas quail with tomatillo jam, wildflower honey and an astonishingly crunchy crust featuring ground-up pepitias; or figs roasted in brown butter on a bed of whipped goat ricotta.

LOCAL COLOR: Be warned that when it's full of Heightsians and young-professional trendies, the dining room at Presidio is one of the loudest in town. You won't be able to hear your across-the-table companions. The music will read as a muffled bass beat. So do yourself a favor, if weather allows, and seek a picnic table on the outdoor patio, or on the front porch.

Want to know more about the food Adam Dorris is cooking up at Presidio? (Hint: it involves smoke.) He chats with Alison Cook, J.C. Reid and Greg Morago on this week's BBQ State of Mind podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or listen on houstonchronicle.com.